It's A Wonderful Life
by Angel of Music lover
Summary: Bella is invited to the Cullens' for a family Christmas tradition only to receive a somewhat more romantic surprise. A oneshot in two parts.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So, basically, last Christmas my friend on this site, **_**Hersheygal**_**,**__**gave me a Christmas present by writing a Christmas Twilight fic and dedicating it to me. So this year, I decided to return the favor with a two-part Christmas fic. :) Merry Christmas, Hershey!**

**Please review. It's the holidays. ;) **

**This is a little AU, because I kind of want this to take place in the setting of ****Twilight**** but I don't think that, following the timeline of the book, this would really work. So the use of an imagination might be required. ;) **

**Bella's POV**

**Disclaimer: I don't own ****Twilight**** or the film "It's A Wonderful Life"**

I carefully adjusted my dark blue blouse and wondered if I should tie my hair up or leave it down. Edward had invited me to an evening at the Cullen house for some kind of Christmas event and I didn't want to look like a mess. Especially when I knew all of them would be looking so perfect.

I decided to just give it up and went downstairs with Charlie to wait for Edward to officially come get me for our 'date'. When I arrived downstairs, Charlie actually looked up from the television show he was watching to look me over suspiciously. I froze at the foot of the steps.

"Esmé and Carlisle will be there?" he asked. I smiled when I realized his concern and nodded.

"Yes, of course they're going to be there. Apparently this is something that they do every Christmas. A Cullen tradition," I explained.

"Good, good," Charlie sighed. He seemed to be convinced.

A knock at the door cut off any other attempt at questioning Charlie would come up with and I gratefully answered the door. He certainly knew when was a good enough time to put me out of an awkward situation, though I think he enjoyed drawing it out a little longer.

When I opened the door, Edward Cullen was on my doorstep looking just as dazzling as he always did. I never failed to notice the snow caught in his hair and how it added to the image of him. I fought to keep my breath from running away.

"Hello," he greeted softly and stepped inside.

"Hi," I replied, smiling up at him and tried to keep my thoughts coherent. It shouldn't be legal for someone to look so good in a thick, lined coat and dark casual pants. He could cause some serious damage to someone like me.

"Hello, Officer Swan," Edward added when he saw Charlie stand up from the chair he had been sitting in. As if he didn't already know that Charlie intended to talk to him.

"Hey there, Edward," my Dad answered in a friendly enough tone. I was glad he was warming up to the idea of Edward. "Cold outside?"

"Freezing," Edward affirmed, shivering for effect. "Esmé actually made a fire this year."

"Bells, you'd better go get a bigger coat," Charlie told me, scrutinizing the coat I had selected to wear over my outfit. I felt large and uncomfortable as it was in this coat because it was so heavily padded. I dreaded the idea of getting a _bigger_ coat and making a real spectacle of myself. I did appreciate the concern, however.

"I'll be all right in this one," I disagreed quickly, pulling on Edward's elbow before he could agree with Charlie. "Come on, we don't want to keep your parents waiting."

"Have fun," Charlie offered, clearly realizing he wouldn't win the coat fight. "Be home at a reasonable time."

"Of course," I promised over my shoulder. "Remember that there's some dinner for you in the fridge that I made this afternoon." I shut the door quickly behind me.

"You really should get a bigger coat," Edward said once outside and he frowned down at me. "I can get you another one from your room."

"Don't worry about it," I assured him hastily, walking to the car. "I'll be fine. We're just going to your house anyway, not on a walk." I was surprised when Edward relented. He walked over without a fight and unlocked his car and opened the door for me. Once I was safely inside, he walked at a human pace to the driver side to open his own door. I knew Charlie must be watching us if Edward was taking the time to be normal tonight.

"Here," he said and pulled a blanket from the back seat. "Wear this on the way."

I gaped at the thick blanket he gave me in disbelief. "Do you plan for _everything_?" I pulled the blanket on regardless, deciding that a compromise was better than nothing.

"When it comes to your well-being, yes." He flashed his teeth at me in a grin and turned heater in the car up as far as it would go. I rolled my eyes at him.

"Just get us to the house," I muttered. "I'm sure Alice will have a panic attack if I don't get over there to see her decorations in the very near future." Edward chuckled and backed out of the driveway, making sure to keep the car at a reasonable speed until we were out of Charlie's sight.

……………………………………

The house looked gorgeous. Suddenly the attempts at decorating that Charlie and I made seemed pathetic compared to the efforts of the Cullens. The lights were strung around the roof of the gigantic house in a perfect, straight line and every single red and green bulb was functional. The snow was lying perfectly on the ground to make it seem as if they had spread fake snow across the property and the pathway was lit up with merry, twinkling lights. I could see that any plants around the yard also were strung with lights and tinsel, taking away the usually foreboding appearance of the home. And this was just the front yard.

"Wow," I gasped, looking at the house from the car.

"Just wait until you get inside," Edward warned me as he opened my door. "They went a little crazy when they found out you were coming this year."

I shook my head and smiled. "Of course. I'm the fresh blood to your family." Immediately, I blushed at the slip-up. I knew it made Edward uncomfortable to talk about the blood situation and I tensed for a bad reaction.

The holidays must be good for his spirits. He simply laughed at the statement as if it was a well-timed joke and helped me outside of the car.

As we walked down the lit path, I could see the huge ornate wreath that hung on the door. When we actually reached the door I wiped the snow off of my shoes on a 'Merry Christmas!' doormat. "Festive," I commented lightly and Edward chuckled next to me.

Once inside an overly excited Alice, who was eager to show me each decoration, bombarded me. "Bella!" she squealed and embraced me. "Merry Christmas! I'm so glad you're here."

"Merry Christmas," I laughed. "The house looks great." I quickly looked over the heavily decorated tree that was positioned by the piano and the various elaborate stockings over a fireplace. The Cullens didn't need the warmth, but a fire was crackling in the fireplace this evening.

While I was admiring the interior, Edward suddenly glanced sharply at Alice. "Don't make her do that."

Alice pouted at Edward but it seemed that she was easy to win over tonight. "Oh well, it's all just for show anyway," she conceded, shrugging her slim shoulders. To me, she said, "I won't give you a tour of the decorations after all."

I sighed in relief and shot Edward a grateful look. Suddenly, I heard an amused chuckle and Jasper was at Alice's side. His attempt at seeming comfortable in my presence meant more to me than he would probably know. "Unfortunately, she's already given a practice tour for all of us. It's too bad you didn't get to see the final result, Bella."

Alice swatted at him playfully. "You liked it."

"Where's everyone else?" I asked, noticing that there were no other vampires to come and greet us.

"You mean you didn't tell her yet?" Alice accused, looking directly at Edward. Edward pursed his lips at her, trying to look annoyed by her accusation but instead looked as if he was holding back a smile at her expense.

"It was going to be a surprise."

I blinked, looking between the two in confusion. "A surprise?" I asked fearfully, expecting the worst. A surprise that came with Christmas couldn't be anything good.

Edward smiled at me. "We have the house to ourselves tonight," he explained. "The rest couldn't be here."

"I'm only here because I wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas," Alice explained, beaming at me. "Since school is out and Edward monopolizes all of your free time, I was afraid I would never be able to." I smiled. And even though she or Jasper didn't say it, I knew the only reason Jasper was still hanging around was because Alice was going to.

"Well, Merry Christmas Alice," I said. Then I turned to Edward, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Well, I knew Charlie would ask you if my parents would be home," Edward grinned, "And you're a terrible a liar. I thought it might be easier if you genuinely didn't know."

I scowled at him but a blush colored my cheeks, as I knew the truth of the statement. "It always comes down to my lying abilities." Edward offered his hand to me and I began to shrug out of my coat to give to him before he would do it for me.

"Or lack thereof," Alice chirped helpfully from the side.

"Alice, we should go," Jasper murmured from his position rather far away from me. Alice turned to look at him and nodded with a smile.

"We have a date too," she explained and a coat I didn't know she had was lifted up over her shoulders. "See you later." Suddenly, she gave us a knowing look and added, "I know you'll have fun." Alice moved swiftly, and with a dancer's grace, to the door while Jasper followed, smiling tightly at me before leaving as well.

Once the door was closed, Edward pulled me to the couch and I willingly followed, still surprised we had an evening to ourselves. "I love that you're wearing that blouse, by the way." I blushed again and tucked some hair nervously back behind my ear.

"Thanks," I whispered and took a seat on the couch next to him. I told myself to breathe. "So, is this Cullen tradition usually done with only two people?" I asked, finding my voice again. "With one who is not a Cullen and another one who is?"

Edward smirked. "There's no Cullen Christmas tradition," he replied bluntly. "We barely even celebrate Christmas, we just put lights up each year to keep up appearances." I must have looked surprised because Edward continued to elaborate for me. "When you live forever and every day is a routine, it's not likely that you add another routine to your life," he explained.

"Oh," I stammered, "Was that for the lying thing too then?"

"Yes," Edward affirmed with a smile. "Sorry, love. I _did_ want it to be a surprise for you."

"No, that's fine," I assured him. I carefully slipped my hand into his icy one and smiled up at him. "I don't mind _this_ kind of surprise."

Edward chuckled and didn't take his hand away like I feared he might. "Besides, I wouldn't mind making a tradition if it involved you in it." My heart hammered and he seemed to be highly amused by this reaction. I blushed and fought to bring it back to a manageable level to regain some of my dignity.

"What did you have in mind?" I finally managed to ask once my heartbeat slowed.

He stood up then, regretfully unlinking our hands, and in an instant produced a worn looking movie case. "Have you ever seen 'It's A Wonderful Life'?"

I smiled with a guilty expression, a blush once more returning. "No. Reneé hates it and so I never was able to watch it."

Edward grinned at me and placed the DVD into its player. He was smiling more tonight than I had seen in a long time. It made me smile more too. "Well, I was hoping we could watch a movie."

"You can sit still long enough for that?" I teased, remembering the few times I'd tried to watch a movie with him before and failed.

"Of course," he brushed away the answer. "This is my favorite Christmas movie."

"Well, I'm flattered." Edward smiled again and sat close to me and entwined our hands together again.

"You'll like it," he promised into my ear, sending chills up my spine. I didn't say anything else but I was suddenly looking forward to the movie.

……………………………….

We both were still, except for Edward who was running his fingers absently through my hair, and absorbed in the ending of the film,. I tried not to be distracted by Edward and kept my focus on the film.

"This is really your favorite Christmas movie?" I asked suddenly, still not looking away from the screen.

Edward didn't pause in his stroking of my hair. "Yes. Why do you ask?"

"Well, it's a really good movie," I told him and turned to face him with a smile. "It's just that, this movie is so hopeful about the necessity of existence and all that. It doesn't seem like you."

Edward smiled grimly at me, pausing his hands in my hair. He seemed to consider his answer for a moment. "Well, even a vampire can hope this time of year, right?"

I was slightly dissatisfied with that answer but let it go. "Right," I agreed, moving up closer to him.

"So did you like it?" he asked, resuming running his fingers through my hair. I sighed.

"I really loved it." I laughed suddenly, "This really does seem like a film Reneé wouldn't like though. I bet she doesn't like how perfectly things work out in the end."

"A minor flaw," Edward agreed with a nod of his head.

I frowned. "Don't you believe in happy endings?" I asked, thinking of how he had intertwined our hands once more now that my hand had warmed up again.

Edward looked my face over carefully, reading my mind in the only way he knew how. I knew that I was like an open book expression wise, so it wasn't hard for him to come up with an explanation for my distress. "I would very much like to." He then brushed the hand that had previously been in my hair carefully across my face and then it rested on my neck. I couldn't help but wish that he would have more faith in us. Suddenly, he stood as if he were bothered by the conversation and changed the subject. "Do you want something to drink? Esmé made eggnog."

His statement only sunk in when he was halfway to the kitchen. "Wait, Esmé _made_ eggnog for me?"

"Yes," Edward chuckled and he returned quickly with a glass filled with eggnog. "She was dissatisfied with the quality at the stores, so she just made some."

"Unbelievable," I muttered but took the glass. When I took a sip, it tasted perfect and far better than the carton that Charlie brought home from the store. "Please thank her for me, I can't believe she would go through all of that trouble."

"It's no trouble at all for her," Edward insisted. After a moment he asked, "Is it any good?" and resumed his seat next to me.

"Of course." I set the glass down and moved closer to him. "So were we just going to watch a movie tonight?"

Edward shrugged. "What would you want to do now?"

I gaped at him in mock surprise. "You mean that you actually didn't plan this far ahead?" I teased, smirking at him. Edward replied with a soft smile.

"Actually, if you must know, I did have something else in mind. But I wouldn't mind hearing what you would want to do." He gave me another smile and I fought the urge to roll my eyes at him. If he hadn't looked so beautiful in that moment, I probably would have.

"Hmm." I thought about what I liked to do at Christmastime. Living in Phoenix didn't give me much background on the typical holiday events, however. It almost never truly felt like Christmas over there in the heat.

Then, I remembered Mike telling me about something he and some other kids at school were doing for a club. It was a fundraiser of some sort and it was going on all of break. It came back in a rush when I remembered that the streets of Forks had been strung with lights last weekend and that coachmen had to be hired, setting the club quite a bit back.

"There are sleigh rides going on in town," I offered. "That could be fun."

Edward paused and seemed to consider. "I remember seeing that advertised. It seemed like a good idea."

I grinned. "What time did Charlie have in mind for me to come home tonight?"

"Eleven," he promptly answered. "We have plenty of time if you really want to."

I hesitated. "Do _you_ want to?"

Edward smiled at me and I once again noticed how often he was smiling tonight. It suited him. "Of course I want to. I want to go wherever you want to go." I was satisfied and somewhat flattered by this answer.

"Great," I breathed, still somewhat in awe for the passion that Edward seemed to show toward me. "Should we go now, then?"

"Sure," Edward murmured but he looked like he was in thought about something. He was looking at me so intensely that I felt my stomach drop a little and I bit my lip self-consciously. I recognized that look, and I half expected him to ask my permission. He surprised me, however, when he promptly slid closer to me and carefully pressed his lips to mine. I held as still as I could bear, but I couldn't help but also lean forward and grab a hold of his shoulder in an attempt to pull him closer. He relented ever so slightly and I rejoiced in the fact that he did. He pulled away after a moment and I let him. It would seem that I was getting better at the whole control thing. When I looked at his face that was still tantalizingly close to mine, I noticed that the frustration that I knew was in my eyes was mirrored in his as well.

"How about now?" I asked stupidly, my head still spinning a bit from the suddenness of his affections. Edward laughed at my flustered expression but he wasn't much more composed than me.

"Yes," he agreed and went to grab my coat as I stood up from the couch. I smiled as he brought it back to me before I even took a step away from the couch. I would probably never fully get used to the speed he used when we were in private. I dutifully pulled the coat on and Edward un-tucked some hair that had gotten caught in the hood of the coat for me as I did so.

Once the coat was secure, buttoned, and zipped Edward looked me over carefully. "You really should have brought a bigger coat." I didn't know why he would still be worried. After the kiss he gave me, my entire body was warm.

**A/N: So, there's one more chapter after this. :) I'm having a little too much fun with this story.**


	2. A Sleigh Ride Together

**A/N: This is the second part of the Christmas fic. Hopefully it's enjoyable. :) **

**Happy Holidays everyone! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own ****Twilight**

It would seem that Edward knew exactly where he was going as he expertly maneuvered his Volvo down the icy streets of Forks. And I guess he _would_ know where the beginning of the sleigh ride was. It wasn't hard to get the information from the thoughts of people as we passed them. Or maybe he memorized the location from the advertisement he claimed he saw. For me, it's easier to just not speculate.

I was once more tucked under the blanket and feeling flushed with the heat in the car still turned all the way up. Really, I thought Edward was just trying to get on my nerves now. There is no way that he could possibly think that I was too cold when I was under this huge blanket and the car felt like an oven. Any time I tried to discretely turn the heat down, however, he always caught me and turned it back up. Also, whenever I mentioned the possibility of heatstroke he would simply raise his eyebrows and smirk at me, causing me to forget what I was arguing about.

After about ten minutes of driving I knew that we were close when I saw Edward scowl. Mike must have been working the tickets tonight because Edward usually reserved that look just for him. It was silly, there was no competition to be found in Mike for my affections, but Edward still insisted on disliking the boy. Not to mention that Mike very strongly disliked Edward back for reasons I could barely fathom.

"Be nice," I muttered under my breath as he parked the car. Edward shot me a slightly indignant look but didn't seem to promise anything.

Once we were both outside, and Edward had made sure that I brought the blanket with me, we approached Mike and his partner for the night, Angela. Edward seemed to be pleased to see Angela at least. He thought she was a nice girl and a good friend for me. I guess he would know. He reads minds after all.

"Two please," I said with a bright smile to the two of them. "You guys look like you're absolutely frozen." I ignored the somewhat dark look that Mike gave Edward and instead focused on how Angela seemed to be happy to see us.

"It's been a long night," Angela sighed as Mike handed us the tickets. "That'll be ten dollars."

Edward nodded and pulled his wallet out of his coat pocket, quickly selecting out a ten-dollar bill. "Have you had a lot of business?" he asked politely, although I knew that he would have been more inclined towards silence. I guess hanging around me gave him a better sense of how to be human.

"A bit," Mike replied coldly. Angela shot him a look and bit her lip.

"We should be close to paying back for all of this stuff and having some money left over for the club," she elaborated, reaching to grab a mug of what I assumed to be hot chocolate. "This town really gets into Christmas, huh?"

"What else is there for a small town to do?" I asked lightly and Angela smiled.

"Well, have fun," she said and looked pointedly behind us to hint that there were some people coming in behind us that were going to want tickets.

"Thanks," I replied and smiled at Mike as we left. He reluctantly smiled back before turning to the newest customers. Edward gritted his teeth. "Please, I don't even want to know," I muttered. I hated when he felt the need to suggest that Mike had been thinking something about me that went a little bit beyond friendly. It made it easier for me to look Mike in the eye the next day if I just didn't know.

"Neither did I," he pointed out but didn't say anything more.

Just as we approached the sleigh area, a new one pulled up that had emptied itself of its most recent customers. Edward signaled to the driver and then helped me carefully into the sleigh, watching my feet the entire time anxiously. Despite his assistance, however, I did manage to stumble a little once I was actually inside. I ended up falling into my seat instead of just sitting in it, causing me to blush tremendously. Edward chuckled and climbed in after me, softly inquiring if I was okay in a much too amused tone. Before I could really respond, the sleigh was moving forward and I gasped in surprise.

"Here," Edward unfolded the blanket and draped it across my knees. I mumbled a thanks and smiled up at him. Truth be told, it was rather cold out tonight.

As the sleigh moved forward, I continued to sneak glances over at Edward to see if he was enjoying the ride. He did appear to be looking around in interest and I relaxed knowing that he wasn't too terribly bored.

As if to further my hope of his entertainment, he said, "I've never really seen the town this way. Everything is lit up and there are so many people out." He appeared to be very thoughtful as he peered at all of the homes and people walking by. "I never got out much before. I didn't know this place could be so cheerful."

"I didn't either," I admitted, "I never even considered the thought that Forks might be really festive and not always so dark and rainy." Edward chuckled again and I knew he must have been thinking of the first real conversation we'd had together that had been about the weather.

We spent another few moments in companionable silence as we looked at the town together. Edward had moved his hand so that it was on top of mine, even if mine was also covered in blanket. I appreciated the gesture and didn't push my luck.

"Have you ever wondered what it would be like if I didn't exist? If I had died when I was supposed to?" Edward suddenly asked, turning his face so that he could get a good look at my reaction.

My first one was panic. Why was Edward talking about this when there was a man driving a sleigh right in front of us? A quick look at the driver caused me to realize that he had headphones of a sort in, making him totally oblivious to the passengers behind him. Something told me that listening to headphones while driving a sleigh was illegal but I was greatly appreciating it at the moment.

"Don't talk like that," I mumbled, feeling an odd tightness in my chest at the thought of it. The world wouldn't be right if Edward didn't exist. I should have known that watching movie like 'It's A Wonderful Life' would spark a conversation like this.

Edward wasn't going to let me get away that easily, though. "No, really. If I wasn't here right now you would be living a happy and normal life. You could be in a sleigh with Newton or another normal boy and have a healthy relationship. Instead, you have me."

I glared at him indignantly. "Exactly. I have you instead. I would never have been happy with some normal boy, Edward."

He pinched the bridge of his nose, obviously unsatisfied. "I don't think you fully understand what you're saying, Bella. You would be better off if I never even existed at all."

"Well," I jutted my chin out defiantly and stared him square in the eye, "If you never existed then I wouldn't exist either."

"Don't be ridiculous," he muttered, looking away from me.

I stared at him for a moment before I pulled out the excess blanket and draped it across his knees as well as mine, bringing us closer together. He looked at me sharply. "What are you doing?"

"Getting closer to you," I snapped, wriggling closer to him and carefully wrapping my arms around his waist. "Don't you try to stop me."

"You'll catch a cold," he told me flatly but did not try to push me away just yet.

"No I won't," I insisted. "You need to stop talking like a crazy person and just enjoy the ride. I think we already learned tonight that every person is here for a reason." I paused. "Whether they're fully human or not," I added quickly.

Edward sighed but draped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me in closer to his side. I grinned, knowing that I had won. Somehow, though, I knew that this wouldn't be the last time we would talk about this.

Then, at that moment, snow began to fall softly down on us, causing Edward to start. "Of all the luck," he sighed and looked gloomily up at the skies.

"It's wonderful," I disagreed and also looked up at the sky.

Edward looked at me with an amused grin on his face. "You know, I seem to recall a girl that ran away at the first sign of rain or snow. She looked a lot like you."

"This is different." I brushed some of the icy mess out of my hair. "This is Christmas snow. It's not nearly as depressing as normal snow."

Edward chuckled, brushing some of the snow I missed out of my hair. "Well, when you put it that way."

The snowflakes remained large and far apart. It looked like something out of a movie, in my opinion. It would figure that Forks could actually produce some of the most perfect looking snow I'd ever seen. I still didn't like it so much but I could appreciate its beauty under certain circumstances.

Suddenly, as I was admiring the snow, Edward tilted my chin up towards him and kissed me for the second time that night. I was too surprised to even react like I normally would have. I just enjoyed the moment and was literally frozen in surprise. One of Edward's hands reached out and caught a tendril of my hair and bunched it with his fingers. Then he pushed himself away, grinning at me.

"What was that for?" I asked in surprise. Usually the lurking danger of his blood lust kept his affections at bay but he had kissed me twice, so far, that night and for extended periods of time. Truth be told, I didn't exactly mind. And now I _really_ didn't mind that the sleigh driver might be breaking the law right now if it meant that we had that much more privacy.

"Doesn't every girl want to be kissed in the snow?" he asked innocently, glancing at me through his eyelashes.

"Your mood swings really _are_ giving me whiplash now," I joked, not bothering to fix my slightly mussed hair.

He grimaced slightly. "I'm sorry. My emotions are a bit out of my control lately."

"The holidays," I nodded my head. "They do that to people."

"I guess so," he agreed, tracing my face with his fingers. I squirmed slightly in my seat but never broke eye contact with him. He abruptly pulled them away with a smile in my direction. "We're getting close to the end of the ride."

As we passed a house we heard some carolers outside of someone's house singing a cheerful tune. I turned my head to get a better look at them and smiled. It seemed that Carlisle, Esmé, Alice, and Jasper all ended up meeting and were standing at the side listening to the carolers. Alice was bobbing slightly to the beat and it seemed that she was singing softly along with them while the other three looked on with peaceful expressions. I wondered briefly where Rosalie and Emmett were but decided that it was probably best not to know.

"Esmé says hello," Edward whispered to me, his cool breath on my neck. "They all saw us. She says that she's prepared to have you take home the eggnog a some cookies that she's planning on making before we get back."

I smiled, looking back at the four as we passed them. "I'll be sure to thank her. I'm sure Charlie will appreciate it too."

Edward's smile suddenly turned into a scowl and his hand tightened his grip slightly on my shoulder. His lips still close to my ear from whispering Esmé's hello to me, he said, "Newton sees us and he thought he saw us arguing earlier." All of the streets in Forks seem to lead to the same place. It was rather annoying in this case.

"We were arguing?" I asked lightly. Really. I was surprised that I had come up with something witty to say with Edward that close to my personal space. I must be getting better at keeping my head in control around him, which was a very good thing.

Edward gave an amused snort and I relaxed. "You forgive me too easily."

"Yeah," I agreed, "But you do the same for me."

I thought I saw Edward's jaw tense in preparation for another argument. Luckily, I also saw that we were approaching the ticket booth with Mike inside of it and saw him staring at us. So, in an attempt to both distract Edward and try to make it even clearer to Mike who I belonged to, I slowly turned my face up and planted a kiss on Edward's jaw, which was still close to my face.

It worked. Edward's jaw relaxed and it seemed that he had entirely given up on arguing about how he was putting my mortality at stake. He softly smiled and said, "Isabella, love, you never cease to surprise me. Thank you."

"You're welcome," I replied and gave him another kiss for good measure. The sleigh then came to a halt and the driver sent us an impatient look. Edward laughed again and gracefully stepped out of the sleigh. Once his feet were on the icy ground he turned to grasp my hand gently and pull me out of the sleigh after him.

"Thanks," I mumbled, blushing a little at the precautions Edward thought it was necessary to make with me. Unfortunately, I had even more trouble getting out of the sleigh as I did getting into it. There was an icy patch that Edward didn't seem to count on me landing on and my feet nearly slipped from under me. I started to fall backward but Edward's free arm snaked around and caught me around my back and supported me. Carefully, at a human speed, Edward pulled me back up and I was blushing even more than before.

I also noticed that my messy slip had also startled the horse that had pulled our sleigh so that he jumped to the left, away from us with a wild look in his eyes. I grimaced and apologized hastily to the driver. He waved it away and straightened the horse back out with little difficulty.

We walked away and I felt incredibly guilty for scaring the horse. My face was still red from the experience. "It wasn't you," Edward explained, an amused crooked grin on his face. "The horse was scared of _me_. I made too sudden of a movement trying to catch you and it thought I was going to attack it. The driver had some trouble with it the whole ride also." I looked up at him in surprise but saw that it didn't seem to bother him to admit it.

I giggled a little, pulling my coat tighter around me. "Poor thing." I was kind of relieved that it wasn't my fault after all.

"Bye!" Angela called from the booth, waving to the two of us as we walked past it. I returned her wave and saw that Mike looked a little gloomy and did not even smile in our direction. I felt a small twinge of regret at seeing his sad expression but tried to forget about it. He would be okay. That is, he would be if he ever realized how much

"What now?" I asked cheerfully as we walked to the car.

Edward reached into one of his coat pockets and produced a brightly wrapped gift. "I give you a present."

I halted in my steps and had a funny feeling in my stomach. I think it was dread. "Edward," I sighed, "Did you get me something really expensive?"

He shook his head solemnly, still holding the gift out. "I'm saving that for your birthday." I glared darkly at him at the mention of my birthday and an expensive gift. "Please, trust me on this. I got this gift especially for you for Christmas."

I knew he was guilting me into it and I also knew that it was working. I gratefully took the small box that he was holding out and smiled at him. "Thanks, Edward. I have something for you too." I started to reach into my own pockets, searching frantically and trying to remember where I put it when Edward protested.

"You first," he insisted, watching me expectantly.

I gave up the search for the moment and started to unwrap the gift. Under the paper was a small, plain white box. Inside of the box was a small plastic cactus. "Oh," I stuttered, looking at it.

Edward made a bit of a face. "It was pretty cheap and kind of… tacky," he muttered, looking somewhat regretful. "But I know how much you miss the desert sometimes and the sunshine so I thought that this might help remind you."

I smiled widely at him and looked back at the cactus. "Edward, that has to be one of the most thoughtful gifts I have ever gotten," I admitted and spontaneously wrapped him into a hug. "Thank you!"

Edward's body stiffened for the moment and I knew that I had thrown him off guard. I trusted him to be in control though and soon he relaxed and pulled me closer. "Anything for you."

When I pulled away I remembered exactly where my gift had been hiding in my coat. Eagerly, I reached inside of the correct pocket and produced an unwrapped gift. "I didn't have time to wrap it but," I handed him the box, "Here you go."

"You didn't need to," Edward protested but stopped at my pleading look. He carefully opened the box and then smirked. "A Spider-Man web shooter?"

"Edward Cullen," I declared solemnly, "You're my hero." My lips were trying their best not to break into a smile.

I could see the emotion passing through Edward's face as he looked at my gift. He was fighting between irritation at my insistence of calling him a hero and relief that I didn't think of him as a monster. Finally, his perfect lips twitched upward and I knew which side had won. "You amaze me," he said again and stared down at the plastic toy.

"Come on," I blushed at his gratitude, "We're pushing the time limit. What would the neighbors think if I went home after midnight?"

Edward seemed to agree as he unlocked the Volvo and helped me inside. This time, I was far more graceful and I reveled in the accomplishment of not falling into the seat. Edward wasn't so encouraging. "I was hoping to see you blush again," Edward teased, "I'm going to have to try harder." I blushed at his implication. "Apparently not much harder."

I stuck my tongue out childishly at him and he gave me a crooked smile. It seemed that there was very little that could permanently bring his spirits down tonight.

……………………………………..

Later, after I'd returned home and woke Charlie up to announce my presence, I waited patiently for Edward to come through my window. He surprised me by coming through the bedroom door.

"Sorry," he apologized as he quietly shut the door behind him. "I wanted to put Esmé's eggnog and cookies in the fridge for you."

"Oh," I returned my heart rate back to normal at the shock of seeing him there and smiled. "Thanks."

As Edward walked toward me he didn't fail to notice the newest addition to my desk. "The cactus already has a home?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Of course," I blushed. "You don't just re-gift those sorts of things."

"I see," he pretended to sound thoughtful. In a moment he was next to me and I shut my eyes peacefully, used to the chilly temperature he brought to my room at night. I inhaled deeply and then smiled, just happy to know that he was there with me again. It seemed that I saw Edward so often these days that any moment without him seemed to stretch out for an eternity.

"What are you thinking?" Edward asked, stroking some of my hair away from my face and sounding somewhat perplexed. The iciness of his fingertips didn't startle me.

"That I'm glad you're here," I admitted easily. "I'm also thinking that I've never been more in the Christmas spirit than I was tonight."

I could picture his smile without even having to look. All of Edward's emotions radiated off of him, or at least it seemed that way to me, and it wasn't hard to keep up with his moods that way. "I'm glad. I've never enjoyed a Christmas more in my new life than I did tonight."

"Do you remember Christmases before you were changed?" I asked curiously, opening my eyes to watch him.

"Bits and pieces." He paused as he seemed to think deeply about the little that he did remember. "I remember thinking about the war a lot during my last couple of Christmases. I remember decorating a tree with my parents when I was young. But it's hard to picture in my mind. It was so long ago."

I played with his hand thoughtfully. "Do you think they'll entirely go away at some point?"

"I don't know," he answered truthfully. "I can be certain, though, that Christmas could not have been more enjoyable than what I experienced with you tonight."

I sighed. "Now how am I supposed to get to sleep after you say something like that?"

"I could leave," he offered, acting as if he was going to get up and take off out the window. I didn't think he would, but just to be safe I clutched onto his forearm.

"Don't," I muttered. "It'll be even harder that way."

Edward laughed softly and relaxed next to me again. There were another few moments of silence in which I'm sure Edward thought I was asleep. I laid there with my eyes closed and then suddenly I felt myself smile.

"What are you thinking now?" Edward asked. I knew he was frustrated by his lack of ability to read my thoughts so I decided to be honest again.

"That I love you," I informed him without much ado. I could sense his smile again.

"I love you too," he agreed. Suddenly, he chuckled. "You'd better rest up. Alice plans on taking you shopping for a Christmas outfit tomorrow."


End file.
